The range of applications for actuators covers many technical areas. Actuators may be used as system components for moving or steering local system parts for controlling system processes. In some systems, actuators may be used to provide haptic feedback to a system user. Haptic feedback generated by actuators can increase the amount of information available to a system user by providing an additional medium through which to transfer system information.
Actuators utilized for generating haptic feedback may comprise resistive actuators. Resistive actuators can be mechanical or magnetic in nature. Magnetic resistive actuators can comprise a closed magnetic circuit including a pot-core style electromagnet and a target contacting the electromagnet that completes the magnetic circuit. E- and C-core style magnets may additionally be used in resistive actuators. Friction forces are created from the normal forces produced by the electromagnet. When used as a component of an apparatus or system, the haptic resistance provided by the magnetic actuator can be correlated with specific apparatus or system information in response to user input.